MUNSTER HAVE CONFIRMED a 28-man travelling squad for Saturday’s Champions Cup round of 16 clash with the Sharks in Durban.

As expected, Graham Rowntree has welcomed back Ireland internationals Peter O’Mahony and Conor Murray, while Antoine Frish is also included after recovering from a leg injury. Niall Scannell has also made the travelling group after returning to full team training following a shoulder injury.

And Rowntree says the return of both O’Mahony and Murray is a major boost as the province look to lift performance levels following last weekend’s URC loss to Glasgow.

“Leadership, performance, just having them around the group,” Rowntree said.

“Pete wasn’t involved at the weekend, but just having him around yesterday as we were navigating our way through the review was very helpful. He’s been through a few reviews and a few performances like that before, so having people around like him and Conor Murray was calming for the group.

“I’ll get a reaction, the guys are honest, the guys were very down afterwards, as they should be. I was down afterwards, but the beauty of this sport is you have another huge challenge just around the corner, so you’ve got to deal with it. The pictures are undeniable, some of the pictures, you just have to show them. I don’t have to shame them, they know.

“We’ve just done a good training session, and we’re in good nick, we get on the plane tonight looking forward to a massive challenge.

In this competition, this club, these games away from home… this is why you do it. What a memory this will be, if we get this one right at the weekend.”

World Cup winner RG Snyman also travels having clocked up another 20 minutes off the bench on Saturday, and Rowntree believes the powerful lock is close to being ready to push for a place in his starting team.

“He’s getting better. The way our game has changed since he last played for us, he’s had to get up to speed obviously coming back from injury, and he’s a huge man. That engine needs a bit of fine-tuning, but he’s getting there. From what I’ve seen in our training data and what I’m seeing with my eyes, he’s certainly getting fitter and fitter.”

Snyman’s inside knowledge on some of the Springbok internationals in the Sharks squad could come in handy this week, with Rowntree admitting the second row is “able to give us a bit of an insight into their psyche.”

Munster’s 28-man squad, consisting of 16 forwards and 12 backs, includes just two looseheads – Dave Kilcoyne and Josh Wycherley – but Rowntree believes they have enough cover in the position if they need to juggle their resources at the weekend.

“We’ve got lads who can cover a few positions in that front row, we’ve tightheads who can play loosehead.”

The squad fly to South Africa tonight ahead of Saturday’s game in Durban, with Rowntree keen to keep any disruption to the usual training week to a minimum.

“We’re able to get the first half of the week as normal. We had a good session today and we’ll get on a plane tonight. I’d actually have liked to have gone out a bit later in the week. But we still train normally for a couple of days, travel overnight, there’s no (major) time difference, and we’ll have a session Thursday and Friday.

“So it will be a similar looking week, although second half of the week we’ll be in South Africa.”

Munster travelling squad

Forwards: Dave Kilcoyne, Josh Wycherley; Diarmuid Barron, Scott Buckley, Niall Scannell; Stephen Archer, Keynan Knox, Roman Salanoa; Jean Kleyn, RG Snyman, Fineen Wycherley; Gavin Coombes, John Hodnett, Alex Kendellen, Jack O’Donoghue, Peter O’Mahony.

Backs: Craig Casey, Conor Murray, Paddy Patterson; Joey Carbery, Jack Crowley, Ben Healy; Malakai Fekitoa, Antoine Frisch; Shane Daly, Mike Haley, Calvin Nash, Simon Zebo. 

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